The monster within
by TheRomanticNerd
Summary: *I have a real monster in me...* Gai never showed up to stop Gaara in Lee's hospital room the day before the Chuunin Exams. Shikamaru, Naruto, Gaara centric. Rated for violence. Twoshot.


**The monster within**

**(A MikoKriszty two-shot)**

-

"I have a real monster in me…"

-5-

"_The worlds we live in are totally different! There's no way I can beat a guy like him!_"

Naruto's body felt like it weighted a hundred tons; he couldn't move his limbs properly. All he could think about was getting away from this kid, the person who reminded him so much of his buried, darker self, his possible life… He wanted nothing more than to be away from the boy, the room, the hospital, the village… To get away from his own nightmares…

-4-

"What's wrong, Naruto?"

Shikamaru knew things were getting out of hand here. He had lost all hope of negotiating with this strange sand genin; obvious symptoms of insanity were showing. Contemplating their next move, Naruto made a motion with caught Shikamaru's attention, and as well as scaring him, surprised him a great deal. Now, catching the shadow-master by surprise happened once in every blue moon – this moment occuring right at that time showed him just how desperate the situation turned out to be.

Naruto was actually _backing up_. He knew little of the blonde, but if there was one thing, it was that he never gave up, with or without a fight. Seeing Naruto horror-struck and shaking like a leaf disrupted his concentration for a few seconds; the sight made him shiver, too. They had little chance of surviving this ordeal even with both of them doing their bests; if Naruto decided not to fight, they were screwed!

Then the next unsettling thing happened. Gaara's sand began moving – despite his jutsu.

"_What? I should have immobilized him with the Shadow Imitation Jutsu!_"

He felt panic gripping his throat, too, but he forced himself to stay calm. In a situation like this, one had to think and make quick choice for their own survival. The chance of him winning against Gaara was nonexistent, he was already out of chakra, and the Shadow Imitation Jutsu was his only effective ninjutsu. Lee was unconscious and seriously wounded; he needed protection if anything else. Naruto was frozen on the spot. However, the usually annoying genin was Shikamaru's only hope; the guy might have learned something during this last month that could get them out of this mess. Naruto was the most surprising ninja of them all, after all!

"Naruto! Naruto, wake up! Tsk, what a troublesome guy… Naruto!"

-3-

Flashing in front of his eyes were memories of a long forgotten past… Or at least a suppressed past he had hoped to forget… Images from a childhood he never wanted to relive… Images of a man who saved him from it all, a girl who became his first love, a boy who crawled himself under his skin and made a permanent spot there as his brother…

And then, he looked at the boy in front of him… His eyes showed true loneliness and sadness, feelings he had long since banished but never forgot…

He barely heard his classmate's shouts and all the sand around them… His mind could only concentrate on one thing: the true horror in every inch of his body, the fear that seemed to eat his whole being up…

_I could have ended up like that, too…_

His mind suddenly went blank. His whole body relaxed, and a weird numbness arose in his body, originating from his middle and spreading throughout his body, paralizing his limbs, his movement, his mind.

His mind registered the pain only after a few seconds passed.

-2-

"So… Let me feel…"

Shikamaru realised that Naruto was out of reach. _Shit, I have got to get both of us out of here and call for help before he kills Lee!_

Before he could even moce a finger, the sand arrived.

"_This is it for us…!_"

Gaara's eyes widened further and his lips formed a smirk at the view. He managed to trap the taller boy in a coccoon, only freeing his head; he would pay for restricting him with his life by watching the other boy – _his friend, a treaturous voice whipered in his head_ – die and then be crushed himself.

A gasp escaped Shikamaru as he saw his comrade, and Gaara felt his smirk become animalistic, his headache leaving him as if a gentle breeze blew it away.

As the first drop of blood made it to the floor, he growled loudly, and lashed out towards the smallest shinobi with a predatory smirk.

-1-

The sharp, white-hot pain surged painfully around the area where he guessed the lived was – or should have been. A thick, sword-shaped block of sand made its way through his body; from the pain in the skin of his back he knew that the makeshift sword cut him through. A scream left his lungs as he grabbed the 'weapon' so as not to loose balance. White dots danced in front of his eyes, and he felt his legs shaking beneath him.

_Shit._

From nowhere, another blow came; this time both his arms were targeted above the elbow, cutting through skin, flesh and bone, pinning him to the wall behind him. He felt more than heard himself screaming from the enormous pain, pain like he had never experienced before. He tried to open his eyes, but could only catch a glimpse of the ferocious smirk before his eyes refused to work and he had to shut them again. The block of sand shifted in his side; he felt the sand crawling inside him, pushing at his organs, rupturing his lungs and ribs. Not being able to move, shut out the intensive pain or even breathe, he welcomed the unconsciousness surrounding him.

Naruto never even acknowledged that deep, animalistic laugh that was too malicious to belong to either of his comrades or the maniac killing him.

-0-

_I can feel it... Hahahahahahahaha!!_

-

**This is a two-shot. The next chapter will end it. Please look forward to it! And don't forget to review! :3**


End file.
